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I trust my ears and my senses. I listen to music and attend concerts with my eyes open, so why should I close them to make Ethan happy?
In our <A HREF="http://forum.stereophile.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=64883">foru..., reader Ethan Winer brings up the concept of "listening blind when assessing audio quality." Do you perform blind listening tests when evaluating audio equipment?
I suppose if I found a dealer which had the components I wanted to hear together, and my budget was high enough, they might help me do that. But whatever the validity gained in such tests (and having been trained in research blind tests are better) they really aren't practical for anyone besides the press, who has the access and taste to set them up.
Worthless without the proper set-up and process. Even if you should actually stumble upon getting the process correct, I'm doubtful as to its actual value. But go ahead and give it a try! No skin off anybody's nose and it may be fun.
If an objectivist fell down in a forest, would anyone care? Not to be confused with Fudd's First Law of Opposition: "If you push something hard enough, it will fall over." Or even Teslacle's Deviant to Fudd's Law: "It goes in, it must come out." DBT's are comin' and there's no place to hide!
Seeing what I'm hearing and seeing my surroundings does not keep me from listening well, either in front of a stereo or at a live performance. When evaluating audio gear, the crucial tactic is not blind comparison, but listening to the same piece of music on the same system several or many times over, with short breaks to rest one's ears every two or three spins. Then change musical selections and repeat the process. Over time, as you hear favored but very different recordings on many different audio rigs, you might develop a short list of up to a dozen recordings you use as the acid test for any given system and its room setup. Sure, you can do A-B comparisons, too, or whatever else floats your auditory boat. But the main thing is to listen as many times as it takes to be sure of your own perceptions.
For better or worse I like to "see" what is reproducing the music I listen to. Those black curtain tests Bose does in its traveling road shows does not impress me at all. I honestly believe that knowing what I am listening to does not alter my opinion of the sound that comes out.
Initially I thought no, but a few times when comparing sources I've switched between them with my eyes closed and tried to tell which one was playing. It wasn't that difficult if you're familiar with one. Also, back when I used to drink, I auditioned a few components blind...drunk.
First of all, I think people's evaluations are largely subjective and based on their individual preferences. The most important factor when evaluating sound is to listen intently to as many components as you can keeping in mind what live music sounds like. No audio company will probably ever reach what is termed as the absolute sound.
If you can't tell component A from component B without looking at them, how do you really know that one is better than the other? I've met a lot of audiophiles that have fallen in love a product prior to purchase and wound up experiencing buyers remorse after living with it. Blind tests can do a lot to avoid those sorts of circumstances.
Doing a properly controlled blind test is more difficult than it sounds. Often there is no simple way to do such things as level matching, which is necessary for a valid test. Engineering skill is needed to implement most blind tests properly. I have done an ABX of absolute polarity using the foobar2000 ABX comparator plug-in though.
No. I trust my ears and I'm not influenced by what "should" sound better. Example: Recently I bought a new tube complement for my amp. It wasn't cheap but I clearly preferered the sound of the stock tubes, so back in they went. If it's a really close call, I'll do A/B testing if I can.